Air pillow



No. 6l3,328.

Patented NOV. l, |898. W. R. SHRYUCK.

AIR PILLOW, MATTRESS, CUSHIUN, &c.

(Application filed Apr. 6, 189B.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES- 'PATENT FFICE.

VALTER'RAYMOND SHRYOCK, OF MOBERLY, MISSOURI.

AIR PILLOW, MATTRESS, CUSHION, sac.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 613,328, dated November 1, 1898'.

A Application filed April 6, 1898, Serial No. 6765701. (No model.)

To au whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, WALTER RAYMOND SHRYOOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moberly, in the county of Randolph and State of Missouri, have invented certain` new and useful Improvements in Air Pillows, Mattresses, Cushions, (lne. and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to pillows,mattresses, cushions, and like articles, and more especiallyto articles of these classes in which their resiliency and cushioning qualities are obtained by making them of suitable air-tight material and inflating them with air under pressure.

The invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, and afterward specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated my invention as applied to a pillow as a representative of all the articles of bedding and upholstering before enumerated, Figure 1 is a plan view of the inserted plate carrying the valve mechanism, the shield for the valve being broken away. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the same on the dotted line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing my preferred method of attaching the pump. Fig. 3 is a sectional v'iew on the dotted line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Like numerals of reference mark the same parts wherever they occur in the different gures of the drawings.

Pillows, bolsters, mattresses, and cushions of the class described are generally made of rubber or other suitable flexible material in a form and shape to suit their different uses. In the drawings the numeral 10 indicates a portion of such rubber or other llexible material broken out of one side of a pillow as an instance of the various articles.

11 indicates'a plate set into an opening in the material 10. The joint between the outer edge of the plate 11 and the inner edge of the hole in which it is set is rendered air-tight by an inner covering-strip of the same flexible material (marked 12) and an outer strip, (marked 13.)

The dotted line 14 in Fig. 1 indicates the outline of the hole in which the plate 11 is inserted.

rivet 19, a washer 20 being interposed between the spring and the plate 11, to which it is secured inorder to hold the spring at the same distance from the plate at the one end as at the other to insure the proper contact of the valve 16 with the plate 11 when closed.

When the pillow is empty, it is usuallyrolled for storage, packing, or transportation. In order that the valve and spring, which is located on the inside of the pillow, may not be injured in the rolling and packing of the empty pillow, a guard 21 is mounted over it, consisting of a plate of metal secured to the plate 11 by means of rivets 22 through its flanges, bent to raise it a suitable distance above the spring and valve to permit of their free operation, butprevent any injury thereto. Plate 11 is formed with a threaded hole 15 to receive the threaded end 28 of a swelled nozzle 27, a washer 29 being provided to prevent leakage of the joint. A short rubber tube 26 from any desired or preferred form of inilating-pump 23 is stretched over said swelled nozzle 27.

42 and 43 indicate two holes in the plate 11, which may be closed by an elongated rubber valve 44, pivotally secured upon the plate by means of a rivet 45, a curved metal plate being secured upon the outer curved side of the rubber valve by means of the same rivet, the

metal plate being marked 46 and serving to protect, stiften, and assist in the movement of the rubber Washer upon the plate 11. The

rubber Washer and its curved metallic protection-plate are located upon the outside of the plate 11, so that they can be manipulated with the thumb and finger.

The construction of my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing de scription, and its operation may be described as follows: The pillow, mattress, cushion, or other like article being uninflated and it being desired to inflate them with air, the pump Ais connected by screwing the nozzle 27 into the hole 15 in the plate 11 and operating the pump so that air is forced into the pillow through Valve 16, the spring 17 preventing the escape of air from the pillow.

Then it is desired to exhaust the air in the pillow, it is only necessary to turn the rubber valve 4l away from the position in which it is illustrated in the drawings sufficiently to uncover the holes 42 and 43, when the air will rush out of these holes, and the pillow may be rolled for packing or for transportation, as before mentioned, the guard 21 thoroughly protecting the spring 17 and valve 1b against injury during this operation. After the pillow has been entirely emptied of air the rubber valve 4I may be turned back to the position illustrated, thus closing the holes 42 and 43 against the admission of air, the valve 16 being always kept closed by the spring 17.

The advantages attending the use of pillows, bolsters, mattresses, cushions, and other like articles constructed in accordance with my invention are too evident to require speciiic mention here, such articles being vastly superior in every respect to any of the ordinary feather-beds, or mattresses or pillows stuffed with hair, excelsior, rbc., and while I have described what I now consider to be the best means for carrying out my invention I do not wish to be understood as restricting myself to the exact details of construction shown and described, but hold that any slight changes or variations such as might suggest themselves to the ordinary mechanic would properly fall within the limit and scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A pillow, bolster, mattress, cushion, or like article, consisting of a bag of flexible airtight material provided with a plate set in an opening in one side thereof, said plate being provided with an opening automatically closed by a spring-actuated valve secured to the inside of the plate, a guard-plate secured to the inside of the plate and shielding the spring-actuated valve, discharge-openings in the plate, and a rotary rubber valve covered by a curved metallic plate and secured to the outside of the plate to open or close the discharge-openings, substantially as described.

2. The combination in an air-pillow or like article, provided with an opening in one side, of a metallic plate inserted in said opening, inside and outside securing-plates covering the joints between the material of the pillow and the metallic plate, a fiat spring mounted on the inside of the plate and parallel therewith provided with a valve closing the inletopening through the metallic plate, a guard or shield covering the spring-valve and secured upon the inside of the plate, and a rotary valve mounted on the outside of the plate on a pivotal rivet, consisting of a strip of rubber flat on the inside to close two discharge-openings in the plate, and curved on the outside, and a curved shielding-plate of metal fitted to cover the curved outside of the rubber valve, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER RAYMOND SllRl'OClfi Witnesses:

S. W. SHRYOCK, JENNIE SHRYocK'. 

